Archives for August 23, 2016

'"Early on, I had some of those doubts," Henderson told reporters after the Bills' final practice of training camp at St. John Fisher College. "I didn't know exactly what the future had set for me. I just kept doing everything that the doctor said, eating right and just moving forward getting back ready to on the field."'

'"You know, any time you get hurt in camp and you’re taking some time off, guys are on you and they’ve been on me nonstop," Incognito said. "So, it’s good to be back and quiet down all that chatter. I felt good. The ribs felt good, everything felt good. It’s good to be back out here with the boys. Now it’s my time to get in the best playing shape possible."'

'You know, you see how much a guy wants it. Obviously you’ve got a major adversity in front of you but there’s only one way to do it and he’s got to be the guy that does it. So you know, it’s great to see.'

'But here's the good news: The Bills' defensive line can function reasonably well without him. His absence will be felt, no question about it, but there appears to be enough depth to keep things on track for a quarter of the season and longer if necessary. In fact, it's fair to say that Corbin Bryant and Jerel Worthy tend to play the scheme as it is designed and stick to their assignments more often than Dareus, whose greater talent sometimes causes him to do things his way because he usually can succeed. Rookie Adolphus Washington, who is having a tremendous preseason, also should do plenty to help pick up the slack.'

'It’s easy to say the Bills will be better given the fact that they were so mediocre last year (19th in yards, 15th in points). However, rookie lineman Adolphus Washington looks like a keeper, Kyle Williams is back after missing 10 games in 2015, Jerry Hughes looks as fast as ever, Preston Brown is much more in tune to what’s going on, and Stephon Gilmore — like McCoy and Taylor — will be supremely motivated to excel with free agency looming.'

'Despite his strong rookie season and an affordable contract, 31 teams passed over Williams after a troubling offseason. The running back reported to OTAs overweight and he's set to serve a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.'

'In addition to questioning Buffalo's ability to get after the quarterback, the hosts seem unsure if Rob Ryan's addition to the coaching staff will actually help the Bills defense. It's a fair question when you look at Rob Ryan's last stint with the New Orleans Saints. In 2014, New Orleans was 31st in the league in yards allowed and were last in the NFL at the time of his firing.'

'Henderson, who missed the final five games of the 2015 season after the diagnosis, started training camp on the non-football illness list while Jordan Mills took the first-team reps at right tackle. After offseason surgery to remove an infected part of his intestines, Henderson will have a chance to start winning his job back.'

'Henderson, speaking publicly for the first time about the pain and fears of his ordeal, said he played last season with stabbing sensations in his stomach that grew so bad his 6-foot-7, 330-pound body shook. He vomited regularly. He lost 50 pounds. Eventually, surgeons removed 80 diseased centimeters of his large and small intestines.'

'In addition, Bills head coach Rex Ryan also once again commented on Marcell Dareus. Just hours after announcing he would leave the team and enter rehab prior to the Bills preseason meeting with the Giants on Saturday, Dareus was spotted enjoying Buffalo night life downtown. "I have no comment," Ryan said.'

'Henderson had experienced stomach pains since playing at college at Miami. But he wasn't diagnosed with having inflammatory bowel disease until December, which led to him having two operations on his intestines.'

'Dareus ' history suggests he does need help, according to a source outside the team, and this is the perfect time to seek that assistance since he can't be with the team starting Sept. 5. He served a one-game suspension in 2015 for violating the substance abuse policy and has had a couple off-the-field incidents as well as problems in his personal life, and it's clear that he needs a reboot.'

'Henderson has not played or practiced since he was diagnosed with Crohn's disease last December. He is scheduled to practice with the team Monday night.'

'"Early on, I had some doubts. I didn't know exactly what the future had set for me," Henderson told reporters Monday. "I just kept doing everything that the doctor said. Eating right, and I just kept moving forward to get back on the field."'

'OLB Shaq Lawson, who has yet to practice after having shoulder surgery, was doing conditioning work on the sidelines for the first time all camp.'